


Die Young

by strangerphans



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Afterlife, Basilisks, Character Death, Gen, Greek Mythology - Freeform, M/M, Major Character Injury, Sad Nico, Sorry Not Sorry, Spoilers, Tags Are Hard, draecaenae, greek monsters, im sorry if there are any mistakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 11:02:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11850234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangerphans/pseuds/strangerphans
Summary: Nico Di Angelo would go through Tartarus again if it kept Will Solace out of harm's reach. He'd go face-to-face with Kronos, he'd take the weight of the world from Atlas' shoulders or even sacrifice himself it kept him safe.Nico would rather go through any of these pains than feel Will's life slipping away. But he can't save him now, Will is dying and it's all his fault.





	Die Young

Nico stumbles into the hospital tent as he wipes the blood from his cheek. He has a few wounds from the battle but nothing like a few other campers.

“Will? Will, where are you?” He calls out as he scans the small tent. There are three sleeping bags, one of which Chiara Benvenuti is lying on. She looks dazed but is still conscious. Damien White is by her side.

“Out.” She drawls out, making Nico’s eyes widen and his grip tightens on the hilt of his sword. His knuckles turn white.

“He was supposed to stay here.” He growls as he leaves the tent and steps back into the battlefield. Immediately he’s met by a group of Basilisks. The reptiles snarl and stalk up to him. Nico grits his teeth and unsheathes his sword, ready to attack.

The first Basilisk launches himself at Nico and opens his mouth. A huge flame of fire grazes Nico’s bleeding nose and he jumps back. He forgot these monsters breath fire. Luckily he remembers that if one of them even touches him he’ll disintegrate. The basilisk hisses and launches itself at the son of Hades, who manages to jump out of the way. It looks around in confusion and Nico takes this chance to slice it’s head off with one blow of his sword.

He looks over the group of basilisks for a moment and all air is knocked out of his lungs. Will is cornered by Basilisks. He’s armed with a bow but his quiver holds to arrows. Nico doubts his taxi cab whistle will work on them. The two boys make eye contact for a split second and Nico can see the fear in his royal blue eyes.

“Hold them off for as long as possible!” He yells before returning his attention the approaching Basilisks. There’s three of them in total, hopefully smiting them will only take a few minutes at maximum. He’s a skilled swordsman but he’s exhausted from fighting all day long. Still, he’d do anything to protect Will Solace.

He roars as he charges at the monsters. They roar right back but the only difference is that they produce fire with each scream. Nico ducks under the flames and successfully stabs the middle Basilisk with ease. He rolls between the other two and spins around. They’re looking around in confusion, wondering where their prey is. Nico grimaces as he swings his sword at them and they turn to dust. He has no time to rest, though, he needs to get to Will.

He keeps his sword ready as he runs to Will. He’s still cornered but he has his bow out in front of him, acting as some sort of shield. It doesn’t work, however. A Basilisk jumps forward and breathes fire onto the wooden bow. It catches fire, Will screeches and brings his bow down to the Basilisk’s head. It wails as it turns to dust and Will throws his flaming bow down, furiously stamping on it. The seven other Basilisks close in on him.

Nico feels a growl rise in his throat as he creeps up behind the monsters. The turn instinctively and are met by his sword. He slashes his sword furiously and grits his teeth as he wildly severs every monster in sight. He even accidentally catches his knee at one point but continues fighting and yelling, doing everything possible to turn the monsters’ attention away from Will. He even throws in a few Roman moves- he jabs upward into the ribs of the creatures. He barely even notices that the last Basilisk is dead until Will’s arms are around his waist and his head in his shoulder.

“Nico, oh gods, _Nico_.” His voice is shaky and hesitant, as if he’s about to burst into tears, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I should have stayed behind, I know I should have, but I felt so _useless_. Like I wasn’t contributing to the battle but now I realise I’m just an idiot.” Nico feels tear drops soak the shoulder of his black hoodie. He swallows nervously before slipping his arms around Will’s neck and running his skeletal fingers through his blond hair.

“Will, you are anything but useless. You save lives, for gods sake. That’s so amazing- _you’re_ so amazing.” He murmurs gently.

“You looked really hot while you killed those Basilisks. Scary, but hot.” Will giggles through his tears. He lifts his head and smiles at Nico. The Italian smiles back.

“There’s the Will I love.” He teases. This causes Will to beam brightly and bend down for a kiss. He presses his lips against Nico’s bloody forehead. The son of Hades is glad that he doesn’t gush over how he should receive medical attention over his little wounds. Nico looks up into his bright eyes and they grin at each other.

And then blood began to pour from Will’s mouth.

Nico’s eyes grow wide in horror as the blood drips down and splatters onto his orange t-shirt. He gasps when he sees the pointed spear emerge from just underneath his ribs. Will grips onto Nico’s waist, now aware of the vicious pain. Still silenced by shock, Nico peers over his shoulder and finds himself staring at a Dracaenae. She’s smiling sinisterly and her luminous yellow eyes are full of hatred and malice. She forcefully jerks her spear back and Will falls limp in Nico’s arms.

“Hated to ruin such a beautiful moment between you boys.” She hisses. Nico’s eyes darken and the weight of his sword on the outside of his leg grow heavier. Carefully, he hauls one of Will’s arms over his shoulder and drags him to the side as he whispers sweet nothings to him. He sets him down on a patch of grass and takes off his hoodie. Shaking, he holds the clothing against the wound before replacing his own hands with Will’s. He hopes his mind is clear enough to remember how to treat a stab wound.

Inside, he is panicking and screaming but he needs to remain calm in front of the enemy. He stalks up the still Dracaenae and draws his sword. She raises her large shield to her chest and positions her spear.

“I’ll kill you quick so I can get back to lover boy.” She licks her lips as her luminous eyes flicker back to Will. Nico feels rage build up inside of him and he charges forward. The monster grins menacingly and uses her shield to protect herself at the last second. Nico’s sword is deflected and he stumbles back. The Dracaenae takes this chance to jab her spear at him. It catches the son of Hades in his shoulder and he cries out in pain.

“Oh no, looks like you got hurt. You should probably go see your doctor- oh wait, he’s dying! You’re both pathetic!” She cackles. Nico feels a scream rise in his throat and he charges again. She can call him anything, any foul name in any language, but no one speaks like that about Will. No one.

While she’s laughing, Nico brings his sword to her chest. It slashes her scaly chest swiftly and she’s taken back. The cut isn’t too deep but she still crumbles to dust. Nico collects his breath as he stares at the abandoned spear and shield. All bark and not so much bite, he tells himself, before rushing to Will’s side.

He’s lying on his back, gazing at the dark sky with a peaceful smile on his face. If you didn’t look at the bloody hoodie covering his chest and stomach, you wouldn’t be able to guess that he’s been stabbed.

“H-hey.” Nico stutters. He drops his sword and lies down next to Will. The son of Apollo turns to look at him and his smile grows even fonder. He reaches out a shaking hand and cups his bloody cheek.

“Nico Di Angelo, you are the most gorgeous boy on earth. I’m so lucky to-“ He’s cut off by the sobs that escape from Nico’s lips. The hot tears that fall from his eyes feel like acid against his pale skin.

“Don’t get all sappy on me, Solace. Don’t you dare.” He chokes out. Will isn’t crying anymore, Nico notes. It’s almost like he’s accepting his death.

“It doesn’t feel like I’m dying. Just slowly falling asleep.” Nico’s eyes widen and he holds Will’s hand tightly.

“No, you can’t, Will. You can’t leave me too.” He wails. Will smiles gently.

His hand falls down from Nico’s cheek. His eyes dull. It starts to rain. Nico’s breath ditches as he feels Will’s life slip away. He sobs and grips his hand tighter.

His noise attracts monsters and soon he’s surrounded. Nico shakily gets to his feet, picks up his sword and swings it in every direction. No one’s going to touch Will, not even now that he’s dead. A shrill scream rises in his throat as he kills monster after monster, Basilisk after Basilisk, Cyclopes after Cyclopes. He makes sure to kill any Dracaenae as soon as he sees them. The rain interferes with his vision but he doesn’t care.

Nico doesn’t notice that he’s killed every monster on the battlefield until he’s back on the ground by Will’s side. However, this time they’re surrounded by shocked campers. He doesn’t care that they can see him so vulnerable or beaten, he just can’t stop crying and clutching onto Will’s body. Will’s cold body. A child of Apollo should never reach such low temperatures.

Nico begins thinking of his own father. And then it hits him.

“Dad,” He murmurs, “Dad, please. It isn’t Will’s time. He’s so young, too young. I need him.” Luckily, Hades has always looked over his children and answered their prayers. For a god, he’s actually quite a good guy. Nico watches as his dark shoes materialise in front of him, then his black cloak and torso, and finally his head. He stares down at his son and Will for a moment before saying, “Oh, I thought I felt a strong soul slip away.”

Most of the campers step back in shock and fear. Nico, however, finds himself trying to bring Will’s body and himself closer to his father, desperate for his help.

“Dad, I know this is more than anything I’ve ever asked for but I need Will back. The whole camp does.” Nico begs as he lets his dead lover rest of the grass. Because of Hades’ sudden entrance, it’s starting to turn a dark grey. The god frowns and kneels down next to the young blond. Slowly, he places a hand on his chest before wincing and sighing.

“I’m sorry, my son, but it truly was his time to go.” He whispers, looking Nico dead in the eye. His breath hitches again and he shakes his head furiously.

“No, it can’t be. He- he had so much still to do, so many more people to save.” Another wave of tears comes and he’s back to hiding his face in his hands. He feels Hades put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

“He had so much potential, I know. But sometimes the good die young, you know that better than anyone else.” He says. Nico grits his teeth. He knows he’s nodding towards Bianca.

“Nico, your dad’s right.” Percy Jackson steps forward. His arm is in a sling but it’s not as neat as one Will would make. Nico glares at all the surrounding campers.

“Get lost!” He screams through his sobs as he brings Will’s cold body against his own. He holds him against his chest and cries into his shoulder. Only Hades stays by his side.

-

Nico wouldn’t let Will be cremated with the other fallen campers. He helped Chiron with that but declined his offer to burn Will’s corpse with them.

Now he’s standing with Hades and Apollo, staring at a wooden coffin lying in the centre of a large bonfire. The plan is to set the thing ablaze and then collect the ashes.

“Nico, are you sure you want to watch?” Hades asks slowly. Nico tightens the grip on his bouquet of sunflowers (he insisted the three of them bring Will’s favourite flower to his cremation) but nods all the same. He can see that his father, who didn’t even know Will that well, is close to tears. Apollo already has hot tears streaming down his tanned cheeks. He’s always cared for his children.

“Apollo, do you have a speech prepared? Maybe a poem?” Apollo shakes his head. He’s too distraught for poetry. Hades takes a deep breath as he strikes a match before tossing it into the piles of wood.

The coffin is set ablaze.

-

Two years later and Nico is seventeen. After Will’s funeral, he hid away in Cabin 13 for a long time. Everything reminded him of his dead lover- the nightly sing alongs, the infirmary, _everything_. Jason Grace and Percy Jackson took turns bringing food to him but he never ate it unless he was starving. He left it at the shrine to his father, a silent prayer for him to return Will. He hasn’t spoke to Hades since the funeral.

Will’s ashes were scattered in different places. A small jar of them is kept in the Apollo cabin, another down in the infirmary and the others with his father. Nico managed to save a few for himself and had some help to press them into a small pendant shaped like the sun. He looped it onto a chain and hasn’t taken it off since.

Nico finds himself staring at it as he sits up in bed. He sighs sorrowfully before swinging his legs out from underneath the sheets. He almost jumps out of his skin when he spots Hades admiring his shrine.

“Good offerings.” He comments before turning to face his son. Nico covers his bare chest to hide his bony ribs. He knows his father can still see them but thankfully he doesn’t bring it up.

“Will was judged yesterday.” He says quietly. Nico perks up and their eyes meet.

“Elysium?” He asks hopefully. Hades nods and before he can say anything else, Nico has shadow travelled to Elysium.

-

“Will? Will, where are you?” He calls out as he emerges from the shadows. Nico freezes once he realises he said those exact words on the day Will died. He shakes it off and begins to search. He sprints past the rows of different houses, knowing that Will wouldn’t be living in a roman domus or a teepee. Instead, he looks for a cabin.

He eventually spots one and quickens his pace. It’s similar to the ones at Camp Half Blood but as if all of them were merged into one. There’s the large chimney of the Hephaestus cabin, the pastel curtains mirroring the Aphrodite cabin’s and the soft music of the Apollo cabin. Nico beams as he bounds up to the door. He flings it open.

Sitting there with Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard and Michael Yew is Will Solace.

Will and Nico grin at each other.

 


End file.
